Knowledge advances in the Mediterranean pine nut value chain

The Portuguese Federation of Forest Owners Associations (UNAC) organised a stakeholder seminar " Knowledge advances in the Mediterranean pine nut value chain" on 6 March at Alcacer do Sal, the heart of pine cone processing in Portugal.

Keynote presentations were given by speakers from the Spanish Forest Research Centre INIA-CIFOR and Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute UVa-INIA, the Portuguese INIAV, the ISA Forestry Studies Centre (University of Lisbon), and the University of Evora about the state of the art in research on stone pine and pine nut production in Portugal and other countries.

The following discussion centred especially on threats and challenges for the biologic production of pine cones from forests and plantations, namely the exotic invasive cone pest Leptoglossus occidentalis and the spread of the Dry Cone Syndrome over Europe, a severe seed yield loss in Mediterranean stone pine cones caused by the pest.

More than 160 participants from Portugal and Spain assisted the event among foresters, forest owners, cone pickers and processing industry companies. This participation shows the strong interest of the stakeholders in the topic.